


Finding Adora

by Anam_M



Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, F/F, F/M, Oblivious Adora (She-Ra), Princess Adora (She-Ra), The First Ones (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26640781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anam_M/pseuds/Anam_M
Summary: Prime's bots open a portal and pull Adora through during Save The Cat (s5 ep5). The best friend squad needs to rescue her to defeat Horde Prime. Also, Catra misses Adora.(Idea's and people used from He-man, most of it isn't canon and remember this is mostly a She-ra fanfic)
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Entrapta & Scorpia (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 89
Collections: She-Ra





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! The first chapter is an introduction and most of it has already happened (past/backstory), but towards the end, the present time will start. Hope you enjoy it!

A green portal. That’s the last time Catra had seen Adora. 

During the rescue mission to save Catra, they had reached a problem- a big problem. Catra was chipped. After Adora had rescued her, she carried Catra towards the ship, but before she could make it she was stopped by an army of soldiers. She quickly had Entrapta, Bow, and Glimmer take Catra into the ship as she fought off the soldiers, that’s what they had told Catra anyways. Catra had woken up by a slow-motion and the light buzzing sound of a ship moving, specifically a ship leaving Prime’s ship ever so slowly. It was like the ship was waiting for someone. 

She had opened her eyes to see Bow and Glimmer sitting near her, crying. She didn’t see Adora there with her, she knew something was wrong.

“Where’s Adora?” Catra asked in a quiet and cautious tone, looking Glimmer and Bow right in the eyes.

Suddenly, there was a bright green light from outside the ship, Catra quickly got up and ran over to the closest window and peered out. The others not far behind her. Even with her injuries and the aches of her body, she knew, she had to see what that light was. It was important, it was terrifying. It reminded her of Prime, of the chip, and what had happened. It made her shiver, but she had such a strong urge, an attraction to see what it was. 

What she saw, was truly horrific. It was a portal, with a bright green light and it had sucked She-ra- no Adora in, her Adora. She was so close to getting her back and now, she was gone. And Catra, she was alone, again. 

“Adora..” Catra had whispered before passing out from pain and exhaustion. 

She had woken up a day later and stayed in the bed for what she could assume hours. She knew Adora was gone, if she were here, she would have been next to her. She held her pillow closer, tears escaping from her heterochromatic eyes as she tried to imagine Adora’s warmth, her smile, her blue eyes, and her stupid hair poof.

Catra finally had left her room at the smell of food. She had walked into the main part of the ship where the others had been sitting down and eating- she had no idea what it was, but smelled good. She could see the puffiness and redness in their eyes as she got closer, and slowly Bow and Glimmer moved aside so Catra could sit in between them. After she was seated they handed her the mysterious food.

Cautiously Catra had asked “What happened back there? Where is Adora?” she knew she shouldn’t have asked. She knew she wouldn’t like the answer.

“Adora, she..we..we don’t know what happened.” Sparkles had answered back, using the same cautious tone Catra had been using.

There was a sudden tension, full of unspoken, it was suffocating her. 

“Entrapta surveyed the area quickly, using the ship before we left. There was no trace of her but on the bright side she did pick up some components to where the portal could have taken her.” Bow said in a fake optimistic voice.

______

One day, in particular, stood out to Catra on the ship. Not that she knew if it was day or night on Etheria. She had been thinking about Adora. Why did she rescue her? Did she care about her? WHY?

She stood in front of Glimmer’s door, Glimmer had told her if she needed anything she could come to her. Did this count as needing something? Maybe she shouldn’t, it would just show her weakness. No, she had to do this, it wasn’t her being weak, it was her being brave. She knocked on the door, the knock echoed through the empty hallway. 

Glimmer opened the door, she wasn’t wearing her normal clothing. What she was wearing seemed like pajamas, comfortable and warm.

“Catra? Come in?” she said opening the door wider and gesturing for Catra to come in.

The room wasn’t much different from her own, maybe a little bigger though. 

Glimmer sat down on the bed and patted the area next to her, inviting Catra to sit down. Catra cautiously walked over and slowly sat down on the bed next to her.

“So, what’s up?” Glimmer asked in a soft tone, giving Catra her full attention.

She didn’t know how to start. What should she say? _ Hey, did Adora talk about me? Does Adora care about me? Why did Adora come back for me? _

“Umm.. I was just wondering. Why did she do it? Why did she come back for me after everything I did? Does she- does she still care about me?” Catra said, she felt like she was drowning. This was a bad idea.

Glimmer looked at her shocked at first. Then she started laughing. She was laughing at her, Catra knew this was a mistake. 

“Do you think she would come back for you if she didn’t care? Of course, she cares about you, Catra! It was always, Catra this Catra that, even when she joined the rebellion. Do you really think she would come to save you with no plan, no She-ra?” Glimmer answered back now with the friendlier tone that she was used to.

She never thought about it that way, she was just being dumb, of course Adora cared. Plus being dumb, that was Adora’s job, not hers. 

______

Meeting Melog. Catra remembers how scared she had been when she first saw them. She remembers the bond they forged. Catra remembers how they helped her when she had nightmares on the spaceship and the few nights they spent on Etheria before going to find Adora. She remembers them helping everyone get through the Horde ships that were meant to block and capture them. 

She remembers how happy everyone was when Melog’s magic helped them get past the other ships…she just wished Adora was there with her.

There was so much she wanted to tell her.

She wanted to apologize, to tell her how much she had missed her, but most importantly she wanted to get to know her again. It had been so long since they had been friends, almost 3 years… she wondered how much Adora had really changed.

______

That brings her back to today. Entrapta had used the coding she had picked up from the area the portal had been and compared it to the coding of planets on the ship’s records. Now Sparkles, Arrow boy, Entrapta, Wrong Hordak, and Catra were going to head to a planet named “Eternia” when Sparkles and Arrow boy heard the name they were shocked. She guessed they were familiar with it, Catra would have to ask them later. 

They were currently boarding the ship saying their goodbyes to the others. The other princesses were staying behind to handle the chipped princesses. They all knew that they would need She-ra, no Adora to take down Prime and they would never forgive themselves if they didn’t get their friend back.

Their friend, was Adora her friend? They never got to properly talk to each other. 

Catra had remembered the chip, that damn chip. She touched the scar on the back of her neck, remembering how Entrapta had taken it off as gently as she could, even though she had been horrible to Entrapta. She wondered how it would have been if Adora had been there. Would it have been less frightening?

“Let’s go,” Bow said to her gently, with a warm smile on his face. 

They boarded the ship and swiftly the ship started moving far away from the ground, and then from Etheria. 

Soon Catra could see the stars and planets outside of the window she was sitting near. That had gotten her thinking, what if the stars had been there when she and Adora were younger?

“Hey, everything alright?” Glimmer asked coming over to her. 

“Yeah, I’m good” she answered back in her most reassuring tone.

She had been getting closer to everyone on the ship, she knew why Adora liked them so much now. They were all so caring and accepting, although she would never admit it out loud.

“Okay, just say if you need anything or just want to talk. We all know how much you miss her.” Glimmer said, smiling.

She blushed as Glimmer walked away and looked back out the window. Hearing paws coming into the room and snuggling into her, she fell into a dreamless sleep. Her first night without nightmares since Adora had disappeared.


	2. The Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you like the chapter! The next update is this Thursday :))

They had been on the ship for about a week, they would have to wait another week to reach Eternia. Catra really needed to ask Sparkles and Arrow boy why they seemed so surprised when they had heard Eternia. She wanted to know what Eternia had to do with Adora, and why would Prime send her there?   
Recently, Catra had been working on controlling her anger and expressing her apologies to Glimmer, Bow, Entrapta, Adora, and Scorpia. Well, sort of, of course, Adora and Scorpia weren’t there, she had opted to write them letters instead. Perfuma had told her writing was a great way to let out her emotions and to help express her feelings, before they had left. She was so so sorry, and she wasn’t sure if she could ever make it up to them, but she sure would try.   
She was currently sitting on her bed in the ship, feeling incredibly gloomy. She had been thinking about Adora ever since she had woken up. She carefully reached to her side table grabbing her notebook and pen without waking Melog up. They had been sleeping at the end of her bed ever since they had left Etheria.   
She slowly got into a comfortable position to write, propped up by a soft pillow on her bed. She wasn’t sure exactly what she should write, she knew wanted to write to Adora. Catra sat there for a couple of seconds, chewing on the pen, wondered if Adora would ever read it.  
Catra let out a soft sigh. She had written to Scorpia already, she could do write for Adora, she was brave enough to do it, there was no more running.  
She lowered the pen onto the smooth paper and started writing, expressing all her feelings at that moment.  
______  
Hey Adora,   
I don’t know if you will ever read this, but flower princess told me this was a good idea… I hope you know how sorry I am and if you don’t I’ll remind you every day. I was hurt, I thought you left me, you were the only good thing in my life, but that doesn’t justify anything I’ve done. To be honest with you, I used to be jealous of the affection Shadow Weaver gave you when we were younger, I guess I never realized she was manipulating you, too. I get it now though, why you left… you had to, you even gave me chances to go with you, but I was too blind to see that. I missed you, a lot, you know? I just wish I could turn time back, none of this would have happened if I had just listened to you. We would have been together. You would be with me, safe... I hope you’re alright. I lo  
______  
Catra was suddenly cut off of her thoughts as she heard a knock at her door.  
“Come in” Catra answers looking up from the paper.  
She set her notebook aside closing it and looks up to see Bow smiling sheepishly at her.  
“Hey, we’re about to eat dinner just thought I would come to get you” Bow answered meekly under Catra’s questioning gaze.   
“Oh-kay, Arrow boy,” Catra answered back, getting up and following Bow out the door.  
______  
They were all eating a new recipe Glimmer and Wrong Hordak had tried out, it was something Glimmer had cooked with her mother. Her mother. Catra’s throat suddenly felt dry. She took a sip of water and cleared her throat catching everyone’s attention.   
“I wanted to ask you guys something, why were you both surprised when you heard Eternia? Do you guys know something I don’t?” Catra asked Bow and Glimmer in her casual voice, biting into the soft bread.  
Sparkles and Arrow boy seemed surprised by the question, they both had gone deathly still staring at Catra. Catra glanced their way and gave them a questioning look, raising her eyebrows.  
“Well, um, Adora used to use it as a password to get into some ruins, but now thinking about it, it makes sense” Bow answered, thinking thoughtfully.   
That answer had confused Catra even more. Now that she was thinking back to the time she and Adora had been trapped in the Crystal Castle, she remembers Adora using Eternia as a password.  
“What makes sense? I already knew about the password thing.” Catra answered back in a boorish tone.   
Glimmer and Bow looked at each and then there gaze had fallen back to Catra. Entrapta and Wrong Hordak had walked away at this point, and Melog was probably still in the room napping.  
This time Glimmer spoke up “I guess it makes sense Eternia is a first one’s planet, although we still have no idea why Prime sent Adora there. It could be because Adora is a first one, but that still doesn’t-” suddenly Glimmer was cut off.  
“WHAT!?!” Catra screamed, maybe a little too loud.  
Glimmer seemed surprised by her sudden outburst and Bow just looked apologetic and understanding? She couldn’t explain the look on Bow’s face, it was full of many different emotions.  
“Oh right, um remember when Shadow Weaver, sorta joined the rebellion? Well, she told us Adora wasn’t from Etheria and it turns out Light Hope stole Adora when she was a baby, so she could become She-ra.” Bow rambled on.  
Catra’s world felt like it had been broken into tiny pieces. Adora could have a family out there. Adora was stollen. She wasn’t meant to be here. She-ra was the thing that took Adora away from her, but she was the only reason they had ever met. Adora could have been happy with a family that loved her...  
“I- I think I’m going to go to bed early,” Catra said, getting up abruptly.   
She ran into her room closing the door, ignoring the others as they called out for her. She slowly got into her bed, being mindful of Melog. As soon as she was laid down she let everything out. She’s not sure if she slept at all that night, but Melog had woken up from the sounds of Catra’s sobs and comforted her throughout the night.   
If she had never opened the portal. If she had just listened to Adora. This would never be a problem. She couldn’t blame She-ra for any of this anymore. Even if she still disliked She-ra, she would have never met Adora without her. Maybe that would have been for the best. Adora could have been happier, she could have been raised by loving parents.  
That had gotten her thinking. How different would it be if the Horde never existed, would they have been raised better. Would they have gotten the love they yearned for when they were younger? Would they have still met?  
She knew, for one thing, she would never forgive the Horde or Shadow Weaver. Never. Shadow Weaver had abused and manipulated so many people, including Catra and Adora. The abuse and manipulation would affect their lives forever, it already had, and it would continue to.


	3. Eternia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :))

It had been a couple of days since Catra had asked Bow and Glimmer about Eternia. Things had gone back to normal, or as normal as they could get without Adora.  
They would be reaching Eternia in a couple of hours according to Entrapta. Catra was currently sitting on the window sill with Melog in the main room, staring at the stars in front of her. It had been a slow day on the ship, Entrapta and Wrong Hordak had been working on Darla while Glimmer and Bow had been spending some time together.  
Abruptly, Catra’s concentration was cut off by Darla’s robotic voice coming in through the intercom “Destination in 30 minutes, prepare for landing soon.”  
Catra watched as Entrapta walked over to the seat in the middle of the room. Catra swallowed the lump in her throat, as she thought about Entrapta. She had apologized to Entrapta, but still, she couldn’t help, but feel guilty. Catra had used her and then sent her to Beast Island. What kind of friend would do that? She slowly moved her gaze back up to the stars, gulping, as Melog cuddled closer into her legs.  
______  
Catra had fallen asleep for a couple of minutes, being startled awake by Darla’s loud voice.  
“Destination reached.” said the staticky robotic voice.  
Catra quickly looked out the window she had been sleeping near, as Glimmer and Bow rushed into the room. As she stared out the window she only felt one emotion at that moment. Surprised.  
What she saw was truly incredible. How could such a big planet exist? How could so many lights shine from a planet? The planet seemed similar to Etheria, just bigger, brighter, and more magical. Catra could see tall mountains, large deserts, and lava-filled volcanos spread all over the planet, from the spaceship. It also seemed like the planet had only 1 moon. What a strange, but intriguing planet.  
“Entrapta?” Bow was the first one to speak.  
At this point, everyone was standing next to Catra, with the same expression Catra had. Catra had never imagined such a planet could exist. This is where the first ones were from?  
“Catra, can u ask Melog to make us invisible while we land? We don’t want to catch anyone’s attention.” Glimmer had spoken this time.  
Catra looked at Melog, shock still written all over her features from the view outside. Melog had understood Catra’s gesture and cloaked the whole ship to be invisible. Bow walked over to the seat in the middle of the room and sat down as the controls showed up.  
“I’m going to find a secluded and safe place to land. I would hold on, just in case.” Bow said as he started lowering the ship.  
The next couple of minutes had been a blur to Catra, all she could think about was Adora, Horde Prime, the First Ones, and how beautiful the planet had seemed.  
“Alright, we’re about to land everyone! I found a clearing near a forest that seems to be away from any villages or civilization.” Bow said in a brisk tone, focusing on landing.  
______  
They landed in a clearing in the woods. Catra had been looking out the window as they landed, admiring the planet. The woods had reminded her of the Whispering Woods, but it looked much more organized, it seemed as though each branch and root was perfectly placed in its location. It almost seemed too perfect, artificial. How could something be so perfect?  
“Alright, it seems that I can’t confirm if the air is breathable, I recommend everyone wear their helmets outside,” Entrapta spoke.  
Catra shuddered, remembering Hordak’s words _“A backwater planet”_.  
“Here we should wear these, it will draw less attention to us if anyone sees, us” Glimmer said, handing everyone a cloak.  
After putting the cloaks on top of their spacesuits, all 5 of them made their way out of the ship. Melog had gone invisible walking next to Catra.  
It looked so much prettier in person, it looked so perfect, it gave Catra an uneasy feeling. The grass was the greenest she had ever seen, the sky was a turquoise color, and the trees were perfectly green and brown. The flowers had hues she had never seen in nature. Everything was so overwhelming and beautiful. She looked over to Glimmer, Bow, Entrapta, and Wrong Hordak watching their faces fill with amazement, adventure, and questions. So many questions.  
They had all started walking behind Entrapta and Bow, silently admiring the nature around them. None of them dared to speak, admiring any animal or new plant they encountered. Suddenly, everyone stopped causing Catra to run into Bow.  
There was a suffocating silence till Bow spoke. “Woah... there’s a town, a big one,” Bow said in an astonished whisper. She moved over to the side to see what was in front of Bow, her eyes widening, she felt like her heart could explode in that moment. She heard Sparkles let out the loudest gasp, as her own mouth hung open with amazement.


	4. Castle Grayskull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you like the chapter! Sorry for the late update, I was a little busy today The next update is this Thursday :))

In front of them was something they had never seen before on Etheria. It was a city with tall buildings and large glass windows, the buildings looked perfectly in order. There were other ships that looked similar to Mara’s ship that were landing on top of some of the buildings. They saw other people walking around the city, going into the buildings, and hurrying off to their destinations. Catra watched the loud and busy scene play out in front of her, paying attention to every detail she could.

“We- should we go look and ask around?” Bow asked nervously.

Everyone looked at each other knowingly, they were all so curious, and they could ask someone if they had seen or heard anything about Adora.

“They are so technologically advanced, this will be good data to collect!” Entrapta said excitedly while grabbing Wrong Hordak. 

“Alright, just make sure we stay low. Don’t let anyone get suspicious of us” Glimmer said, her excitement showing slightly.

Catra was extra cautious as they walked into the city. They stepped onto one of the busy sidewalks as soon as they entered the city. Catra and Melog were separated from everyone else immediately. Catra started to look around for everyone, walking around the busy sidewalk, being pushed around by a couple of people. The people. They looked so much like Adora, they were all humans. Unlike Etheria, Eternia seemed to be filled with only humans, or at least this city was. Catra felt a lump in her throat, suddenly feeling more self cautious about herself. She just wanted the cape around her to swallow her whole.

______

Catra watched Melog as they ran into a shop, as she started quickly running behind them. 

“Melog” Catra whispered slowly as she entering the shop.

She heard a bell chime as she entered, seeing a slim tall man behind the counter from the corner of her eye. It was a small shop, a pawnshop that seemed so sterile clean. It made Catra’s nose sting a bit.

“Hello, is there anything I could help you with?” He asked in an accent looking up at her in a bored tone. 

Catra stiffened, making sure her hood was up. She looked at the sign behind him, realizing it was written in first one’s writing like she had seen back on Etheria. She would have to tell the others that. Catra sighed, it was now or never, she could ask about Adora. Adora…

“Yeah, um... I was wondering if you’ve heard anything about a blonde?” Catra says stuttering.

He gives her a questioning look, making Catra want to sink deeper into her cloak.

“A blonde? There are a lot of blondes, you have to be more specific” he answers.

Catra gulped, she didn’t want to give herself away, but she wanted to ask about Adora.

“Just any news on any blondes, I guess. I’m just curious, you know? News on blondes, haha.” Catra said laughing a little, leaning on her hand as she placed her elbow on the counter.

He looked at Catra annoyed and answered “Well, the only news we’ve had in the last couple of weeks is about a mysterious girl that showed up a couple of weeks back. We don’t get any news much around here though, we like to keep it peaceful.” he ends with a forced smile.

Catra stood up straight surprised that she got an answer about Adora, or possibly Adora so quickly.

“Do you know anything else? Like where she is or could be?” Catra asked quickly.

“Look, I’m not looking for trouble, we shouldn’t be talking about this, but if anyone would have taken a mysterious and unidentified person, it would be the palace or Castle Grayskull.” He whispered.

Her eyes widened. Grayskull was a place?!? Catra ran out of the shop yelling a “thank you” on the way out with an invisible Melog next to her. 

______

She weaved through people along the sidewalks looking for everyone, till she saw the cloaked group looking for someone, presumably her. 

“Catra! We found you!” Entrapta spoke pouncing up and down energetically. 

“I have some information on Adora,” Catra said lightly catching her breath.

They all walked out of the city heading towards the ship silently, making sure they didn’t seem suspicious to anyone. 

When they reached the woods, almost to the ship, Catra spoke up first.

“I talked to this shop owner, he said he heard some news of an unidentified girl and that she would probably be at the palace or Castle Grayskull,” she said confidently. 

The rest of them looked at her baffled with wide eyes. Adora had been fighting for the honor of a castle this whole time?

“Also, the people of Eternia seem to speak the same language as us, although they seem to still write in first one’s language” Catra finished.

They all boarded Darla and quickly looked up Castle Grayskull on Darla’s map.

“Showing coordinates to Castle Grayskull” Darla’s robotic voice answered.

It didn’t seem too far from their current location, maybe an hour or two if they walk. 

“How can we be so sure Adora is there? What will we even say when we get there? I don’t wanna make a bad impression-” Bow rambled. 

I roll my eyes slightly as Glimmer cuts him off by resting her hand on his shoulder.

“Adora is our friend, we have to try, and plus we can just ask, and if they don’t tell us we can do it the best friend squad way.” Glimmer answers smiling.

______

They had decided that Entrapta and Wrong Hordak would stay with Darla just in case they needed a quick escape, plus it would be easier to get out (if they needed to) with fewer people. 

Everyone else followed Bow’s tracker pad to their next location. Castle Grayskull.


	5. The Sorceress of Grayskull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like the chapter, halfway done!
> 
> The next chapter is on Tuesday :))

They had been walking for about two hours now, currently in the middle of a desert. The desert reminded Catra a lot of the Crimson Waste just without all the deadly animals and plants. To be completely honest, Catra hadn’t seen anything living other than them for a while. 

Suddenly Bow’s voice cut her out of her thoughts “Guys, I think we are here, I see something”.

Catra looked up from the ground to her side; now this was interesting. There was a medium-sized castle (smaller than Brightmoon) in the shape of a skull being supported up by multiple pillars, the castle was right on top of a bottomless pit. What an original name Catra thought cackling a bit. There was a bridge made of bones that lead up to the castle which seemed very ancient. Way more ancient than Brightmoon, and definitely more ancient than the city they had been to. Was Adora really here? She had to be.

“Woah, that looks nothing like I imagined would, it’s so old compared to what we’ve seen” Glimmer answers back staring at the castle.

They all start moving towards the bridge, walking slower than they had before. Melog rubbed against Catra’s leg feeling her anxiousness. 

Once they got to the bridge they looked at each other, giving a nod, having a mutual understanding. Catra looked over, looking at the empty void on the sides of the bridge, gulping. _Was this even safe?_

They all walked on the bridge up to the portcullis, unsure of what to do.

“So what now?” Catra asked impatiently.

Suddenly the portcullis opened making Catra scream and jump back a little. She couldn’t see much inside, even with her night vision. They all gave each other a questioning looking, slowly walking in. This felt like a trap.

They walked down a small hallway for what seemed like 10 minutes till they reached a warm lighted room. It had a throne in the middle of the room, lifted up by more bones with someone sitting on it. Catra immediately went into alert mode seeing the lady on the throne surrounded by torches and candles. What was up with all these bones? She knew the castle was called Grayskull, but still.

“Hello, I’ve been waiting for you all.” the women spoke up in a regal voice as everyone else froze in place.

The woman had red hair that was in a ponytail and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a feather-like dress that covered most of her figure.

“How- who are you?” Glimmer demanded almost immediately.

The woman gave them all a small smile.

“Don’t be alarmed. I am the Sorceress of Grayskull, my job is to keep Eternia’s magic in check and that includes She-ra. I presume you know her.” she said getting up from the throne.

They all looked at each other and then back at the Sorceress.

“You know about She-ra?” Bow asks cautiously.

She had a smirk on her face, Catra looked at her questionably. 

“She-ra and He-man were the two protectors of Grayskull about millions of years ago. When one of them dies, another is born and eventually gets their powers. She-ra had decided millions of years ago to go protect Etheria as He-man would stay on Eternia protecting Grayskull’s powers. Eventually, as centuries passed, another She-ra had been born on Eternia, we figured out that it would be easier to control and find the next She-ra if we made a sword using She-ra’s powers. We had sent the She-ra back to Etheria 1,000 years ago to discover Etheria’s magic, but I’m sure you know about Mara…” She answered in a very concentrated and delicate voice.

Things weren’t sitting right with Catra, it all seemed so sketchy. She didn’t like how the Sorceress had said _control She-ra_ or the fact that she knew that they were coming.

“The Heart of Etheria, why did you guys make it?” Catra asked suspiciously.

The Sorceress looked shocked by Catra’s question but quickly hid it with a smile, walking closer to her.

“To destroy Horde Prime, of course.” She answered gulping at the end.

Catra gave her a questioning look as the others just stood uncomfortably.

“Would you like to see She-ra and explain to me why you are all on Eternia?” The Sorceress said clearing her throat.

Catra had been confused by the Sorceress’s forwardness, she didn’t trust her or any of this, but she would do anything to see Adora. _Was she finally going to be able to see her? Would she be able to apologize to her properly now?_


	6. The Royal Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The character styles for King Randor and Queen Marlena are similar to the original (80's) He-man just imagine them a little more modernized. Thanks for reading! The next update this Thursday, hope you enjoyed it! :))

The Sorceress had teleported all of them using a portal to “the palace” as she had said. They were currently walking in a long corridor with the Sorceress leading them. There were guards stationed at every door and unlike Brightmoon, these guards looked buff and stone cold. This whole palace looked stone-cold and sterile, unlike the castles of Etheria. 

The Sorceress had made them take off their cloaks, although they still kept their space helmets on for air. She had told them that they would look suspicious, especially since they were going to be seeing the king and queen with their cloaks on. 

The Sorceress had halted in front of the largest door they had seen so far, turning around she spoke “I have led you as far as I can. I must get back to Castle Grayskull, but the king and queen have been informed of your arrival. You may enter whenever you are ready.” the Sorceress said giving them a forced smile before disappearing. 

They all looked at the door and then back to where the Sorceress had just been. It was now or never. Catra took a gulp and looked up to the guards stationed at the door, signaling to them to open the door.

The doors opened wide, Catra’s heterochromatic eyes widening. Inside the room were three gold thrones and jewel filled walls with a huge fountain on both sides. On the thrones sat, what Catra had assumed the king, queen, and the prince? The king had brown hair and brown eyes with a bushy beard; he was wearing a golden crown and a blue and red outfit. Catra’s eyes then laid on the queen, she had red hair and brown eyes, similar to the Sorceress. She was wearing a matching crown to the king and a long green dress. Finally, Catra looked at the prince. He looked so familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. He had short blonde hair and was wearing gray pants and a loose white shirt. Unlike the king and queen, he seemed smaller and frailer, Catra had noted. 

“It is a pleasure to meet you all! The Sorceress has told us that you have come from another world and that you know her.” the king’s voice boomed.

The best friend squad looked up at him, freezing a bit. Catra inspected their faces, the king and queen had been smiling, while the prince looked uncomfortable.

“My apologies, I am King Randor, this is Queen Marlena, and this is our son Prince Adam,” he says smiling at them.

“I’m Queen Glimmer of Brightmoon, this is Bow, Melog, and this is Catra.” Glimmer answered back suspiciously pointing at each one of them.

The king and queen rise up and come over to them, shaking their hands firmly. More firmly than Catra would have liked. Adam then came over to shake their hands as well, nervously.

As they were shaking hands, Adam came closer to Catra’s ear and whispers “Don’t tell them she is She-ra, keep it a secret. I know you all know.”.

He walked back to the throne with the king and queen heading to their own, Catra froze in shock. She looked over to the others, making sure she wasn’t the only one he had told. They all looked at each other, nodding in agreement. That was weird.

“Have you known her your whole life?” Queen Marlena finally spoke up. She had a light and sweet voice, Catra had noticed.

“We have only known her for about three years, but Catra and she grew up together.” Bow answers this time slowly, being cautious.

They didn’t know what their intentions were yet, and something about this whole situation made Catra uncomfortable. 

“I don’t mean to snoop around in your lives, but I just want to know things about her… I missed out on so much. I don’t even know her name.” the queen said looking up hopefully.

Catra felt angry. Why wouldn’t they just let them take Adora and leave? What was the need for everything else as long as they had Adora? What did the queen mean by “missed out on so much”? Why didn’t they know Adora’s name? WHERE WAS ADORA?

This time Catra had spoken up for the first time “Her name is Adora. Where is she and why do you need to know anything about her?” she snarked. 

The king and queen looked in shock, looking at each other, but then quickly composed themselves. Bow on the other hand looked like a hot mess, sweating and shaking his legs.

“Well you see, we had twin children, one girl, and one boy. Not even a day after their birth, we were separated from our daughter. We had no idea where she was taken, only knowing that a portal had opened and taken her away from us. That is until recently.” King Randor said mournfully.

Catra stared back at the king in shock. _They were Adora’s parents. Adora was from here. She could have had a life here if she wasn’t She-ra. Why would Horde Prime send Adora to her home planet? Something didn’t add up she thought suspiciously._

“You’re- you’re her parents. If she didn’t tell you guys her name, then where is she? Glimmer asked. 

The king and queen looked down, while Adam looked away. It was making Catra nervous, the pause of silence was too long for Catra’s liking.

“She has been asleep since she has gotten here, we haven’t gotten her to wake up,” the queen answers back solemnly hanging her head low.

______

They were currently following Adam silently to the infirmary after the king and queen had asked him to escort them. Catra couldn’t get her new learned knowledge out of her head. Adora has a family. She had and still possibly has a chance to live a happy life. But, Adora wasn’t okay, she hadn’t woken up since the last time they had seen each other.

Adam stopped in front of a door, using his thumb to unlock it. What she saw inside the room broke her heart.

Adora was laying on a white bed, a white blanket on top of her. She looked skinner and feeble on the bed, it made Catra’s heartache. Glimmer and Bow ran over to Adora observing her, as Catra just stood there in complete surprise. 

She slowly walked over to the bed, moving a piece of Adora’s blonde hair out of her face whispering “Hey Adora”.


	7. He-man and The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope u guys liked the chapter. The next update is on Tuesday! :)))

Catra had been sitting next to Adora’s bed for a while, purring with Melog curled at her feet. On the other hand, Glimmer and Bow had gone to get Entrapta and Wrong Hordak with the king and queen’s approval. Catra had finally been able to take off her spacesuit in the infirmary, being told it was safe to breathe in the room for them.

Suddenly, Catra heard a knock at the door, “Come in.” she answered.

The door opened slowly to reveal Adam on the other side. He carefully walked in, grabbing a chair from the corner of the room placing it next to Catra. She raised her eyebrows in response.

“I’m sure you want answers.” He answered to Catra.

She moved her head to the side to face him, staring at him suspiciously. 

“I’m He-man, the other part of Grayskull’s powers, but no one must know about He-man and She-ra’s identities here on Eternia, especially the king and queen,” Adam whispered, making sure no one was around.

Catra’s eyes widened, Adora’s twin brother was He-man. Why couldn’t the king and queen know their identities? How much more would she learn in one day?

“Why do you have to hide your identities exactly? You do realize back on Etheria Adora basically transforms in front of everyone, and that EVERYONE knows that she is She-ra?” Catra answers back mockingly.

He looks at her almost horrified for a second, before quickly masks his impression into an awkward smile, sweating a bit.

“The king and queen aren’t what they seem. They made an agreement with Horde Prime when he had finally found our planet in hiding. They agreed to give him any of our abandoned or explored planets which including Etheria, and they also would assist him in any possible way. That means they would be okay with destroying your planet and galaxy along with it using the Heart of Etheria. Using She-ra to do it, and if they found out that Adora or I possess powers like that, there would be no hope for your planet” He answered seriously, clearing his throat nervously, looking everywhere, but towards Catra.

Catra’s mouth was open wide. _Adora has parents, Adora has a brother, Adora isn’t waking up, He-man exists, and Adora’s parents are evil and working with Horde Prime. What more was there?_ Catra thought.

“Wh- what about the Sorceress?” Catra asked gulping, had they been lied to this whole time?

Adam looked up from the floor and gave Catra a sincere smile, shaking his head a little. Were Glimmer and Bow okay?

“Everyone follows the king and queen’s agenda, if they don’t, they are never heard from again. Most of the agenda is true about He-man and She-ra, but the wording and uses for them aren’t the best, I must admit... the Sorceress cares though, she hasn’t told anyone about our identities, she’s the one who gave me my sword.” Adam answered back cringing a bit.

_Were they safe here? Was Etheria safe? Did the king and queen know they were from Etheria? Did they already know? Glimmer had mentioned she was the Queen of Brightmoon_.

“They aren’t… always bad people, they just...I don’t know, want everything to be perfect, and to please the powerful lines of king and queens before them.” He answers back looking at his hands on his lap.

Before Catra could even think of a reply, the mechanical door opened, and in came Bow, Glimmer, Entrapta, and Wrong Hordak.

“Woahhhh, new theories, Hey Catra,” Entrapta said entering the room.

Adam got up whispering “Only tell those who you can trust.” in Catra’s ears and then walked out of the room.

______

Catra had been in deep thought for a while now, not speaking to the others since they had arrived. Everyone had been avoiding the obvious tension. The others had settled down, at this point, laying their sleeping bags in the room. King Randor and Queen Marlena had offered them rooms to sleep in, but they had all insisted on staying with Adora. 

“Hey Catra, what’s wrong?” Bow asked nervously catching everyone’s attention.

Catra looked up and spoke agitated “Adam just confirmed my worries. Did anyone else wonder why Prime would send Adora to her parents? Or how the Sorceress spoke about Adora? Or how everything seemed so perfect in those woods and everywhere else?”.

Everyone looked at her with knowing looks, edging her to continue. 

“Adam came in here to tell me that he is He-man and that we can’t tell them Adora is She-ra or he is He-man. The king and queen are allies with Horde Prime and would force Adora to use the Heart of Etheria for Prime’s benefits,” Catra said disgusted. 

Everyone looked at her with wide eyes and open mouths. This was going to be interesting.


	8. Escaping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Two more chapters left :))

A plan. They had made a plan. The plan was a little too vague for Catra’s liking, but she had already quickly learned how the best friend squad handled their plans. It was fairly simple, take Adora and escape. 

They had asked Adam for assistance with the plan and with very little persuasion, he agreed. Adam would distract the guards, so they could escape where Entrapta and Darla would be waiting for them. Their main priority was their safety and returning to Etheria so they could defeat Horde Prime. 

______

Catra was currently sitting next to Adora’s bed twirling Adora’s hair in her fingers, waiting for the command to start their plan. She had her helmet on the side table so she could make a quick exit out of the room. Bow and Glimmer were waiting outside the palace ready as well, _“exploring the gardens”_ as they had told the king and queen. Melog, Entrapta, and Wrong Hordak were waiting on the invincible ship for them all. 

Suddenly, Catra heard a knock at the door. This was it. It was time. Catra was nervous, but she had to do this for Adora, for her friends, for Etheria.

She grabbed her helmet, putting it on, double-checking it was working before giving a quick sigh. Catra then got up and picked Adora up inhaling as she did. Adora had lost a significant amount of weight and muscle, but she was still a little heavy for Catra. Catra slightly adjusted Adora in her arms placing a blanket around her, before running out of the room. Adam had distracted the guards as planned, she couldn’t see one in the hall at all.

She ran through the corridors without being spotted by any remaining guards until she found the door she was supposed to exit from. Catra saw Bow and Glimmer waiting for them outside by a tree near the palace.

Bow whispered a quick “pssst” while Glimmer flailed her arms around. 

She had never seen the palace from the outside before. It was so intricate and large, larger than anything she had seen on Etheria, but this was not the time to sightsee.

Suddenly the ship appeared behind the tree Glimmer and Bow had been by. She ran towards them as Bow came over to come help Catra carry Adora. 

The rest of it seemed like a blur to her. They had all gotten onto the ship safely. Adora was finally with her. She let out a sigh of relief holding Adora closer to her chest. As the ship’s doors closed Catra could swear she had heard screaming from the palace. 

“Setting course to Etheria” Darla’s robotic voice spoke.

______

Catra was currently laying down next to Adora on her bed, playing with Adora’s hair. She had taken Adora straight to her room after their escape, placing her on the bed.

They had made it. They were all safe. They were finally going back… home. It felt right to call it that, even if she knew her real home would always be Adora. _She still doesn’t know if Adora has or ever will forgive her, she doesn’t know how Etheria is doing, and she doesn’t know what will happen once Horde Prime realizes they are back. How would they even tell Adora about her parents? Or about He-man and her brother? Would they keep this from her? She would never even know if they didn’t tell her._ No, that would be wrong. That reminded her too much of Shadow Weaver. 

Catra heard Adora’s breathing getting heavier and louder, cutting her out of her thoughts. Now that she looked over at Adora, she looked paler and she was sweating. Catra’s face contorted into a look of concern.

“Adora?” Catra asked worriedly, not getting a response as she expected. 

She placed the back of her hand on Adora’s forehead. A fever, Catra frowned.


	9. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! The last chapter will be out Tuesday! :))

Catra had been sitting on the edge of Adora’s bed for a while now. She had been putting a wet cloth on Adora’s forehead with the help of Glimmer a little bit ago until her fever had gone down. It had been about a day since their escape and Adora’s fever, it would still take them weeks to make it to Etheria. _Maybe they should have stayed until Adora had woken up, they had the right equipment to take care of her properly after all. It was too late to think about that now_ Catra thought solemnly. She hesitantly took Adora’s hand in hers, rubbing it below her knuckles softly.

She heard a knock at the door and quickly let go of Adora’s hand. At the door was Bow who walked in with a warm smile on his face. He walked over to the bed placing his hand on her shoulder, comforting her. 

“You should get some rest, you could go to one of the spare rooms or at least go get some food. You have been in here all day, I’ll stay here with Adora.” Bow said warmly.

Catra looked back at Adora, debating if she wanted to leave her or not. 

Before Catra could respond Bow quickly said “No buts” before dragging her out of the room and shutting the door on her.

Well, that was rude Catra thought scoffing a bit. She passed the main room where she saw Sparkles sitting next to Entrapta and Wrong Hordak, going straight to the kitchen. She entered the kitchen looking at her choices, there wasn’t much of a variety of food, but she had grown up eating ration bars so she couldn’t really complain. Catra saw something similar to a ration bar, but a little more appetizing, grabbing it she walked out of the kitchen.

She walked to her favorite window sill, sitting down, she started eating the better tasting ration bar. Melog walked over to her, curling up by her legs, purring a bit. After, finishing her food Catra had fallen asleep at the window, catching up on some much-needed sleep. 

______

“Catra. Catra. Catra wake up!” Catra heard Glimmer’s shrill voice screeching.

Catra flung off of the window sill and onto the floor, groaning.

“Sparkles, what are you doing!?!” Catra said in her still groggy voice, yawning.

Without any warning, Glimmer teleported them in front of Adora’s room making Catra nauseous. She crouched a bit till her nauseousness faded away. 

“I told you not-” Catra started only to be cut off by Glimmer.

“Adora is awake!” Glimmer said excitedly, jumping a bit before teleporting away again.

Catra’s world froze, Adora was awake. Was she ready to face her? She didn’t have much of a choice anyway, did she?

The door to the room then opened, making Catra’s breathe stop for a second before Bow exited the room.

“You should go in and see her, I filled her in on most of the things she missed. I think you guys should spend some time alone together.” Bow said winking before walking away.

Catra swallowed the lump in her throat and then opened the door, this was it. She entered the dimly lit room. Adora was sitting up on the bed, her eyes wondering curiously at Catra.

“Hey Adora” Catra whispered smiling at her.

Adora smiled back at her trying to get up but failing miserably. 

“What are you doing? You shouldn’t be getting up this soon.” Catra said walking over to the bed.

She looked towards Adora, quietly asking for permission with her eyes to sit on the bed with her. Adora gave her a slight nod with a smile, allowing Catra to sit down at the end of the bed.

“Your okay,” Adora stated cautiously.

Catra looked at Adora in disbelief for a second. Was she actually serious?

“Of course I am okay dummy, I wasn’t the one who was out for more than a month,” Catra responded sarcastically.

Adora laughed a bit, before looking down and frowning.

“I was worried about you when we were on Horde Prime’s ship...” Adora responded in a sad tone.

Catra touched the back of her neck, where her chip had been. Her eyes diverting away a bit.

“I… Do you know about your…” Catra asked looking into Adora’s eyes.

“My parents, yeah Bow filled me in. I guess I always wanted to know where I came from, I knew I was a first one, but maybe it was better that I didn’t know. I knew the first ones made the Heart of Etheria, but I just hoped it wasn’t true. I just wish they weren’t working with Horde Prime.” Adora answered in a wavering voice.

Tears started leaking out of Adora’s eyes. Catra had rarely seen her cry, even when they were kids or in battle. It always seemed so foreign every time she cried. _It hurt._

“I just wished I could have at least met them, even if-” Adora said whimpering a bit.

She paused a bit looking up at Catra.

“ What do my parents and my brother look like?” Adora asked in a hopeful tone.

“Your dad, King Randor has brown hair and brown eyes with a bushy beard, and he was wearing a golden crown and a blue and red outfit. Your mom, Queen Marlena has red hair and brown eyes, she was wearing a green dress. Finally, your brother Adam, he has short blonde hair and was wearing gray pants and a loose white shirt. Adam reminded me a lot of you,” Catra responded looking at the wall. 

Adora gave a sad smile in response, her tears falling freely onto her lap now.

“I’m so sorry Adora, not only for this but for everything else too,” Catra said a sob escaping her mouth.

Adora pulled Catra into a hug as they both cried their hearts out in the middle of space. They were far away from Etheria, but they both knew they were home.

“We will defeat him, no matter what,” Adora said hugging her tighter.


	10. A Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This is the final chapter, and thank u to the people who have been reading this since the beginning! I really appreciate it :))

Months had passed and she was back here on the ship, Darla. Catra was currently laying on the bed next to Adora on the ship. She shifted her position to lay on her side, staring at Adora’s sleeping face admirably. She lifted herself using her elbow, lightly placing a kiss on Adora’s forehead before laying completely back down. 

Catra thought back to the Heart of Etheria. She had almost lost Adora and Prime had almost won, but he didn’t win and Adora would never leave her again. They were together now, Catra thought blushing a little remembering the kiss they had at the heart. That’s all that mattered to her. They came back to Etheria to find the news of a failsafe and Adora had taken it, much to Catra’s displeasure. Her thoughts would go to helping Adora with her hero complex and self-sacrificing actions every now and then.

After the defeat of Horde Prime, surprisingly without any interference of the first ones, Adora wanted something, or rather to do something. Catra could never deny doing anything as long as it was with her, she deserved it. She did so much for everyone that they all immediately agreed to let Adora do what she wanted. 

Adora wanted to go back to Eternia. She wanted to meet her parents and brother. She wanted to learn more about She-ra. She wanted to see the good in the first ones, but she also wanted to warn them. She wanted them to know not to mess with Etheria or any other planet with magic. She wanted them to forget their past and make a new future.

Catra knew what she really wanted, Adora wanted to love her family and she wanted them to love her back.

“Catra” she heard Adora’s groggy voice say, ripping her out of her thoughts.

She looked over to Adora giving her a small, but sincere smile.

“Go back to sleep, I love you,” Catra whispered.

“Love you too” Adora answered back yawning, falling asleep again almost instantly. 

She could get used to this, to them, Catra thought smiling. _The future **looked** bright for them. For everyone. For the universe._

______

“Are you ready yet?!?!” Catra heard Adora say from the other room.

Everything was perfect, or as perfect as it could be with them, Catra thought smiling.

“Mom! Do you think uncle Adam will like my drawing?” Finn said running over to Catra, showing her the drawing.

It was a picture of his sword, they had finally told the king and queen about She-ra and He-man’s identities after they were sure they could be trusted. Finn was turning five years old today and Catra couldn’t be happier.

“I’m sure he will, now go finish getting ready” Catra said with a bright smile patting Finn’s head.

She was the happiest she had ever been and she wouldn’t take anything back. Even most of her mistakes if it would lead her here. 

_ The future **was** bright for them. For everyone. For the universe. _


End file.
